Photo by Stephen Cooney

J-Div Journal
July, 2009

From left: Amanda Rouch and Mariam Nik 1

 J-DIV Journal is a production of Hofstra University’s J-DIV program.

Stories and photos by Tatiana Bernard, Hempstead High School; Brianna Byrd, Sachem High School North; Danielle Evans,
Hempstead High School; Trisha Maharaj, New Hyde Park High School; Mariam Nik, W. T. Clarke High School; Kaitlin Prisco-
Buxbaum, Plainedge High School; Amanda Rouch, West Hempstead High School; Jacqueline Salo, Commack High School;
Nishoba Snow, Uniondale High School; Shereen Torbati, Kellenberg Memorial High School.

Hofstra University Mentors: Stephen Cooney, ‘09; David Gordon, ‘10; Akeem Mellis, ‘10; Delia Paunescu, ‘09; A. J. Voelpel,
‘09;

Guest Lecturer: Ann Golob, Director, Long Island Index.

Faculty Lecturers: James Cohen; Claudia McGivney; Douglas Morrow; Susan Murphy;

Co-Coordinators: Associate Professor Carol T. Fletcher; Assistant Professor Peter W. Goodman.

Hofstra University School of Communication

Dean Sybil A. DelGaudio

Associate Dean Clifford Jernigan
Chair, Department of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations Robert Papper

J-DIV is partially funded by the Rauch Foundation

J-DIV is a program for aspiring high school journalists at the Hofstra University School of Communication. A group of 10 stu-
dents from Nassau and Suffolk high schools were chosen for two weeks of intensive study in all aspects of journalism, including
reporting, writing, recording video and audio, using wikis and creating websites. They prepared stories about their communities on
subjects ranging from affordable housing and business conditions to teen pregnancy and domestic abuse. Their completed work is
presented online and in print.

Photo by Susan Murphy

First row, from left: David Gordon, Mariam Nik, Shereen Torbati, Nishoba Snow, Jackie Salo
Second row, from left: Prof. Carol Fletcher, Delia Paunescu, Amanda Rouch, Akeem Mellis, Trisha Maharaj, A.J. Voelpel, Kaitlin
Prisco-Buxbaum, Stephen Cooney, Tatiana Bernard, Danielle Evans, Brianna Byrd, Prof. Peter W. Goodman

2
Help for Victims of Domestic Abuse
National coalition offers advice and comfort
By Nishoba Snow
J-DIV reporter
Whether it is a local couple
around the corner, or celebrities
like Rihanna, no one is immune
from having physical actions taken
against them. The National Coalition
Against Domestic Violence tries to
help those who have been affected
by violence within their homes. The
coalition operates programs that
helps victimes of violence, including
pregnant mothers, children, teens,
adults, and the elderly.
“Anyone can be a victim of vio-
lence,” said Dale, who works in the
coalition’s Hempstead office (she
said it is the organization’s policy
not to reveal last names).
Dale went on to explain the ef-
fects of abuse on the mothers and
their children:
According to the organization’s
pamphlet about protection for preg-
nant women, one out of six preg-
nant women is physically abused
during her pregnancy. Pregnant
mothers usually go through either
emotional, economic and/or physi-
cal abuse.
Emotional abuse can cause the
woman to feel worthless or blamed
for the pregnacy. In some cases,
women may choose to undergo
abortions or hurt themselves to
prevent their pregnacy. Neverthe-
less, some women have their babies,
and because their partner may be
angry about the birth of the child or
children, the mothers may take out
their anger on the babies. Financial
trouble also limits the mother in be-
ing able to support the baby.
Meanwhile, the other partner
usually tries to control the decisions
over money and medical care, which
is greatly needed during pregnancy.
Women need money to cover the
finances of a baby, and medical care
is needed to make sure that there
are no pregnancy-related complica-
tions.
“Name-calling,
humiliation and
shouting can lead
to very harmful
things, such as
hitting and even
rape.”
Consequences to the child in-
clude bad health or very low body
weight; the woman may even have
and can also lead to the mother
having a miscarriage. If the parents
stay in an abusive relationship, the
child will grow up in that environ-
ment.
Children raised in such homes
can be affected emotionally, in
terms of behavior, and in the child’s
mental and physical development.
Most children whose parents are in
abusive relationships can tend to
feel that they are the cause of their
parents fighting. With this problem
playing such a big role in their lives,
children may not know what to do
and can feel helpless.
The violence can also develop
anger and sadness, which some kids
cover up by doing bad things. The
coalition trains people to help chil-
dren, Dale said.
“They’re able to use dolls, dance
and art to help cope,” she said. In
some cases, a parent is afraid to
seek help for both themselves and
the child.
Since young children don’t
completely know right from wrong,
they may grow up thinking that an
abusive relationship is right, because
that is what they are used to seeing.
A lot of teens experience unhealthy
relationships. Most abusive rela-
tionships revolve around jealousy
and possessiveness. Name-calling,
humiliation and shouting can lead
to very harmful things, such as hit-
ting and even rape. “If a person says
NO to sex and the partner refuses
to take no as an answer, that’s rape,”
Dale said. It is normal for victims to
refuse to reach out for help because
they’re afraid of the outcome, but
the coalition provides a 24 hour
hotline for victims of all types of
domestic violence and a centers that
can help.
The elderly are also at risk of
abuse. In most cases, their care-
giver, who may be a spouse, child or
another relative, is the abuser. Abuse
of the elderly includes physical,
sexual, psychological, and financial
abuse, as well as neglect and the
violation of their rights. The coali-
tion also provides support groups,
counseling, advocacy in courts for
the elderly and other victims as well.
Due to the help that the coalition
offers, some people can move on
with their lives happily and violence-
free, even though, according to
Dale, the process can take a while.
“Sometimes, a person has to come
back seven or eight times before
they’re ready to take charge and
move past the abusive spouse.”
3

Housing costs driving the young away
Recent grads cannot afford to stay home in Commack
By Jackie Salo
J-Div Reporter
Commack has had trouble keep-
ing and attracting residents who can
no longer afford the neighborhood’s
price-tag, due to its lack of afford-
able housing.
“When I graduate college, I don’t
know if I will stay here [in Commack]
even though I would like to, because
I will not be able to afford it. There
are not many affordable homes in
Commack; even the apartments are
expensive,” said sixteen-year-old
Commack resident Arielle Lewen.
4
As the housing cost burden has
increased in recent years on Long
Island, the market for buyers in
the area has become smaller. Ac-
cording to the Long Island Index,
household incomes on Long Island
increased by 26 percent while home
values went up by 124 percent
between 2000 and 2007. This has
led to many residents leaving for
more reasonably priced areas of the
country. In a 2007 Long Island Index
survey, 21,000 more Long Island-
ers left than those who arrived from
other parts of the United States.
This may be a result of the lim-
Photo by Jackie Salo
ited amount of affordable housing.
According to Maritza Silva-Farrel,
a community organizer for the Yes
In My Backyard (YIMBY) campaign
which works to promote the build-
ing of affordable housing on Long
Island, housing becomes “unafford-
able” when more than 30 percent
of family income is spent on it
monthly. From the 2000 census, 23.3
percent of Commack households
spend more than 35 percent of their
income on housing, an increase of
30.1 percent from 1990.
“Affordable housing is believed
to be for people who need low
income housing, but now it is for a
person who makes sixty or seventy
thousand a year,” said Silva-Farrel. “A
Long Island Index survey says that
38 percent of people on Long Island
spent more than 35 percent of their
income on housing in 2006. If that
is the case, they have less money
for health care and property taxes.
More people need affordable hous-
ing.”
Someone who makes minimum
wage would not be able to afford
an apartment in the area. According
to the National Low Income Hous-
ing Coalition, a studio apartment
in Nassau or Suffolk County costs
302 percent of minimum wage. This
affects businesses, which may find it
difficult to get workers to do certain
jobs.
Many young professionals who
grew up on Long Island are hav-
ing difficulty staying here after they
graduate college. Natalie Gaebelein,
a native Long Islander, could not
find a place to live in the area she
grew up in after graduation. She
started the organization Stay on
Long Island after seeing how hard it
was to find affordable housing.
“Here is a crappy basement and I
cannot save for a mortgage because
I am too busy trying to pay rent,”
said Gaebelein. “Paychecks do not
weigh out the living expenses.
“[The purpose of the organiza-
tion is] to help advocate affordable
housing for young people ages 22
to 32,” said Gaebelein, whose own
experiences are the basis of her
organization. “When I got out of
college I did not have a place to live
and my parents decided to move, so
I had to find a place to rent. Since
I had no option of moving back in
with my parents, I had to pay $1,000
a month to live in someones base-
ment, giving everything I was mak-
ing to live.”
For those young professionals
lucky enough to find somewhere
on Long Island to live where they
can manage to pay rent, their living
costs may prevent them from being
able to save so they can permanent-
ly live in the area.
According to the Long Island In-
dex, the population of young adults
between the ages 20 and 34 has
decreased by nearly two percent on
Long Island since 2007, more than
the national average decline of one
percent. Young people remain those
with the greatest desire to leave the
area. Of people aged 18 to 34, 67
percent say they are somewhat or
very likely to leave in the next five
years.
“When I got out of
college I did not
have a place to live
and my parents de-
cided to move, so I
had to find a place
to rent. Since I had
no option of mov-
ing back in with my
parents, I had to
pay $1,000 a month
to live in someones
basement, giving
everything I was
making to live.”
“Nearly half of young people 25 to
34 are spending more than a third of
their income on housing, so they are
moving off Long Island. There is a term
for this called ‘brain drain.’ This is hap-
pening and will continue to happen,”
said Silva-Farrel.
In Commack, there has been a
decrease of 38.3 percent in residents
between the ages of 18 and 34, over
the period from 1990 and 2000, ac-
cording to the Long Island Index.
The amount of affordable hous-
ing in a new development is decided
by the town board and supervisors.
When a new development is cre-
ated, a certain amount of affordable
housing needs to be set aside. This
is because of the Inclusionary Zon-
ing Bill, a Suffolk County law which
went into effect in January, 2009.
“When there is a subdivision of
five or more units, at least ten per-
cent has to be set aside for afford-
able housing,” said Jill Rosen, Suf-
folk County Director of Affordable
Housing.
If a developer wants to create
more affordable housing, it needs to
be approved by the town board and
supervisors.
Craig Turner, of the Town of Hun-
tington Board of Planning and
Environment, said that town board
approval is needed partly because
“you need to have a zoning change
in density increase to make back the
money for selling it at a lesser price.”
According to Turner, there are
no laws to prevent the building of
affordable housing in Commack.
Developers just need to submit for
zoning changes. Recently, three
affordable units were built in Com-
mack.
“There was one request on Com-
mack and Wicks Road where the
developer had wanted to rezone
a residential area to commercial
zoning, where we asked that there
be three units on the property of
affordable housing for seniors [in
exchange],” said Turner.
Regardless of whether affordable
housing is developed, there will be a
change in the population of Com-
mack. Without affordable housing,
there will be a shift in the demo-
graphic of the area.
“Long Island is going to lose the
middle section of professionalism
eventually,” said Gaebelein, “The
young blood, and young life, will
not be here when the older people
retire. People will go down south
where people can live comfortably.”
5
 Cleanup ahead at Hall’s Pond Park
Work slated to begin in fall at West Hempstead park
By Amanda Rouch
J-DIV reporter
Hall’s Pond Park in West Hemp-
stead was once a clean place for
families to visit and enjoy together.
Peaceful groups of ducks and geese
roamed the area. The water was
clear and the grass was frequently
dotted with picnickers. Today,
however, garbage floats across the
surface before getting stuck in shal-
low water. Geese and ducks perch
Garbage floats in shallow water at Hall’s Pond
6
on an island of sludge in the middle
of the pond. The wind carries food
wrappers and newspapers past gar-
bage cans posted along the cracked
asphalt walkways.
“The place is a dump,” said Matt,
who has lived in West Hempstead for
twenty-three years.
Betty, who has lived in West
Hempstead for six years, took in
her surroundings. “I don’t see the
crowds here anymore,” she said.
Due to the degradation of the
park over the years, the number of
visitors has dwindled. Many West
Hempstead residents feel the same
way as Betty, and say that Hall’s
Pond would be more enjoyable if it
were cleaned up.
According to Rosalie Norton,
president of the West Hempstead
Civic Association, the pond has al-
ways been a part of the West Hemp-
stead community. The property,
initially owned by the Hall family,
has been a part of West Hemp-
stead for over one hundred years.
A sepia-toned photograph from
the 1930s on the Newsday website
shows a group of boys swimming in
the pond, and there were ice skating
events in the 1970s that often had
large turnouts.
Though various events and con-
certs still take place at the park each
year, the area certainly isn’t what it
used to be.
“Over the years aesthetic degra-
dation has occurred through lack of
adequate funding by the County to
properly maintain Hall’s Pond Park,”
according to the West Hempstead
Civic Association’s 2005 proposal
for funding from the Environmental
Bond Act Committee. “It has been
neglected for many years and is
showing the ravages of neglect.”
The main problem is the garbage
that dominates the area. Norton
said that since Hall’s Pond is a Nas-
sau County passive park, there is no
maintenance staff on-site; it’s up to
visitors to dispose of their garbage
properly. Also, high winds often
blow branches and debris into the
park.
The Nassau County Legisla-
ture in 2004 approved the Nassau
County Environmental Program,
which was designed to grant money
to communities wanting to beau-
tify their public parks. In 2005, the
West Hempstead Civic Association
submitted a proposal to the Envi-
ronmental Bond Act Committee for
funds to renovate Hall’s Pond Park.
Of eighty-three proposals submitted
to the committee, Hall’s Pond was
one of eighteen chosen.
Norton said that for the project,
$573,000 will go to park improve-
ment, which includes the renova-
tion of walkways, the placement of
new benches and garbage cans, the
institution of goose control, and
the building of water fountains. This
price also includes the creation of
nature trails in the woods on the
north end of the park property. An
additional $273,000 will go towards
installing a catch basin where a
stream empties into the north side
of the pond, in order to prevent
stream debris from entering the
pond.
According to Norton, the money
for this project comes from the En-
vironmental Bond Act as well as the
county’s budget and federal grants.
The Nassau County Director of
Environmental Coordination, Brad
Tito, said that there are eleven steps
to complete before beginning physi-
cal construction on a project such as
Hall’s Pond. He said that initial work
includes all kinds of paperwork,
including submitting proposals,
requesting permits, and acquiring
“I think they should
stop worrying about
paperwork and just
do the job,”
documents and contracts. Nearly
$40,000 has been spent so far on
the paperwork required to begin the
project.
West Hempstead residents fear
that no progress is being made.
Though the Nassau County De-
partment of Parks, Recreation, and
Museums website says that twenty
percent of the project has been
completed, residents say they want
to see progress before believing
that work is being done.
“I think they should stop worry-
ing about paperwork and just do the
job,” said Matt.
Norton said that the landscape
architecture company Ward Associ-
ates PC has been signed on to the
project. They will be in charge of the
engineering, landscaping, brickwork,
and architectural design aspects of
the renovation. According to Nor-
ton, Hall’s Pond should be fenced off
by Labor Day this year, with con-
struction expected to begin shortly
after.
Photos by Amanda Rouch
7
 Mystery at Eighteen Page Lane
Westbury house empty for years, status unknown
By Mariam Nik
J-DIV reporter
For the past few years an aban-
doned house in Westbury has been
the source of much concern and
agitation among its neighbors.
Once occupied by a couple with
two young children, the house –
located at 18 Page Lane- is now de-
serted. According to Sandra Didyk,
a long time resident of Page Lane,
the family disappeared one night
leaving an empty house and baffled
neighbors.
Up until a few weeks ago, the
property had been left unkempt,
Two views of the house at 18 Page Lane.
8
with grass growing over a foot high
and mold up the side, said neighbor
Susan Oftring.
“Since there is no heat in the
house, one of the pipes actually
froze and burst,” Oftring said. “Now
there is a big hole in the kitchen
ceiling.”
Worried about possible health
hazards, potential squatters or its
attraction for loitering teens, Of-
tring called the Town of Hempstead
Department of Sanitation. She said
she searched the internet, trying to
find out who the current owner of
the house is and whether it is fore-
closed, but hasn’t been able to find
any answers.
“There seems to be a phantom
owner,” said Tom Oftring, Susan’s
husband.
Next door neighbor Caitlin
Keyer said, “My sister’s window
has a perfect view of the house’s
backyard. We’ve seen empty beer
bottles, rodents in the pool area and
something odd growing out of the
hot tub.”
Recently, the Department of
Sanitation covered the pool and
fenced in the area.
“I know periodically when it’s not
cleaned up -- I’m guessing it’s the
town, puts fines and notices on the
door saying ‘clean it up or we will
send you a bill for it,’” Didyk said.
“Something seems to get done,
but not much. Nothing inside. It’s a
disgrace.”
Information concerning the
owner of the home and whether or
not it is officially foreclosed remains
unclear. The secretary of the Depart-
ment of Housing of Nassau County
said that the department did not
have records showing that the home
is in foreclosure.
In addition, an official of the
Town of Hempstead Housing Au-
thority said they had no information
on the status of the home either.
However, the Nassau County
Clerk’s office has copies of recorded
deeds and mortgages. In a no-
tice dated November 17, 2008, the
owner of the home, Anna Cesarini,
was given a warning that she was
in danger of losing her home. The
notice also said that Cesarini should
“speak to an attorney or go to the
court where your case is pending
for further information on how to
answer the summons and protect
your property.”
The contact number for Cesarini
was out of service.
Attorney Todd Falasco, repre-
senting mortgagor IndyMac Federal
Bank, refused to disclose any infor-
mation regarding the case.
In a New York Times article in
May, 2008, on abandoned houses
in Florida, Vikas Bajaj wrote, “It can
take months, even years, for some
homes to wind through foreclosure
in the backlogged local courts. The
longer a home sits vacant, the more
vulnerable it becomes. Mold and
mildew creep. Algae chokes for-
saken swimming pools. Sometimes
vandals strike. And sometimes wir-
ing or plumbing just give out.”
“Any empty house is a sad story,”
said Didyk. “It’s a disgrace and it’s a
shame. We would love to have some
nice neighbors, but at least they’re
taking care of the place now.” Photos by Mariam Nik

9
 The former Packard Middle School.
Photo by Kaitlin Prisco-Buxbaum

10
Packard School Project Moves Ahead
Building site to become playing fields, community center and gym
By Kaitlin Prisco-Buxbaum
J-Div Reporter
As the Plainedge School District
finalizes plans to sell and demolish
the Sylvia Packard Middle School,
which had been a staple in the com-
munity for the past forty-five years,
residents feel nostalgic about the
loss of the building.
“The whole thing is pretty sad,
almost surreal,” said Douglas Pas-
carella, a trustee of the Board of
Education. “The school appears to
have been frozen in time. Dates and
lessons still remain on the boards in
classrooms.”
Packard Middle School had
been closed since 2004 for various
reasons. “A number of years ago,
it was decided by the school board
that it would be more tax efficient--
more cost effective-- to build a new
middle school than it would be to
fix Packard,” said trustee Maryann
Capone.
Laura Pokorny, president of the
Plainedge Federation of Teachers
and a middle school science teacher,
attributed the closing to the odd
layout of the building and the lack
of space for incoming students.
“The closing was bittersweet,”
Pokorny said. “There was a real
community atmosphere there that
we lost in the new middle school. In
some respects, the fact that it was
overcrowded brought the faculty
and the students closer together.”
The deal with the Town of Oyster
Bay states that in return for $5.5 mil-
lion, the town will receive rights to
5.16 acres of the land and rights to
demolish the building. According to
Town Supervisor John Venditto, the
town plans to renovate the fields to
serve the district and the commu-
nity. The district will retain a small
portion of the land to make a com-
munity center and gymnasium to al-
leviate the tough scheduling among
the district’s sports teams.
As part of the agreement,
Plainedge sports will have exclusive
access to the fields Monday through
Friday up until 6 p.m. According
to Patricia Rufo, Assistant Super-
intendent for Business and Admin-
istration, money that is not used
for construction will be put into a
capital reserve to alleviate the strain
on future taxpayers.
“To me, I don’t know what price
you would ever put on provid-
ing playing fields for our children,”
Venditto said. “When children have
“The whole thing is
pretty sad,almost
surreal,”
playing fields to go to, it keeps
them from places that they maybe
shouldn’t be.”
According to Venditto, the town
is eager to renovate the fields
because it helps the community
grow in many ways; it increases the
property values, gives young people
a place for recreation and enhances
the quality of life.
According to the Plainedge
School District Web site, the idea
of selling Packard to the town had
been heavily debated. In 2007,
the Packard-Picken deal was pro-
posed, which suggested a swap of
the Packard and Picken properties
and some monetary reimburse-
ment given to Plainedge. Picken
is a closed down school building,
which the town had been using as a
small headquarters, that had po-
tential environmental concerns and
minimal space, according to www.
plaintalkonline.com. The deal was
ultimately shelved, apparently due
to disagreements among residents
about the proposal.
The town’s new proposal, how-
ever, received much greater support
during the June 29th vote. Accord-
ing to Venditto, the new deal keeps
the Picken property in the town’s
hands, builds athletic facilities in
Packard’s place, and provides more
money. Ultimately, 80 percent of
Plainedge residents were in favor of
selling Packard to the town, Venditto
said.
According to the Deputy Super-
visor of Oyster Bay, Leonard Genova,
the town plans to begin construc-
tion as soon as the deal closes and
hopes to see the fields renovated
by fall 2010. The demolition would
be a lengthy task due to asbestos
removal and attempts not to disrupt
the surrounding residential neigh-
borhood, Genova said.
During construction, the sports
teams which practice in the Packard
gymnasium or on the fields will be
temporarily forced to squeeze into
the other fields and gyms within
the district. The Athletic Director,
Jamie Labelle said that with the use
of town fields and the rest of the
district’s athletic facilities, teams will
get their practice time, although it
will be tight for a while.
Robert Shaver, the wrestling
coach and a physical education
teacher at Plainedge High School,
said he relied heavily on the Packard
facility. To accommodate the wres-
tling team, which is losing their main
facility, the school’s weight room will
be relocated to the basement and
the current weight room will be-
come the wrestlers’ practice space.
“It’s not always about us,” Shaver
said. “We understand that this deal
is good for the district.”
11
 Clockwise from top left: Akeem Mellis
and Brianna Bryd; Mariam Nik; Trisha
Maharaj; Prof. Carol Fletcher and Mariam
Nik; Nishoba Snow; Danielle Evans and
Delia Paunescu; Prof. Fletcher, Prof.
Peter W. Goodman and Kaitlin
Prisco-Buxbaum; Jackie Salo.

12
Photos by Stephen Cooney

13
 Tough Times in New Hyde Park
Economic woes affect small business throughout the area

By Trisha Maharaj
J-DIV reporter

Many teenagers in New Hyde

Park were devastated when the local
Starbucks closed down earlier this
year. “Starbucks was a place that
you could walk into and always run
into someone that you knew. I went
there a lot to get coffee and just
hang out,” said 16 year old Nandini
Ahuja. “Now that it’s no longer here,
I’ve lost my favorite place to catch
up with my friends.”
Starbucks is just one of many
businesses in both the incorporated
and unincorporated villages of New
Hyde Park that have closed down or
changed ownership within the past
three years. Such businesses include
JC Penney, Henry’s Inn, Denton Deli,
and NY Precision.
Along with the business closings,
countless restaurants along Jericho
Turnpike have come and gone so
quickly that many people in the
community did not even know they
existed. “I probably couldn’t even
name most of the restaurants that
have been opened there,” Ahuja
said.
Anita McCalum, a clerk at the
Town of North Hempstead zon-
ing office, said that many of these
restaurants may have had problems
meeting zoning requirements, espe-
cially the stipulations about parking.
The Town of North Hempstead of-
fers many of these businesses short
term permits. “Some businesses get
a time frame to see how well they
do,” she said. If businesses cannot
uphold the zoning codes, they may
not be able to renew their permit
and be subject to closure.
Within the Village of New Hyde
Park, the closing of businesses ap-
parently has not fazed many of the
No more munching. village’s officials. A former New
Hyde Park official who did not want
14
her name mentioned said, “We do
not have many businesses that are
closing and have more businesses
that are expanding.” She was speak-
ing of businesses such as Gino’s
Pizzeria, that has expanded.
When asked about possible
trends and explanations for the
businesses that have closed, Richard
DeMartino, president of the New
Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce,
said, “I don’t think that I can help
you.”
Louise Fishman, Executive Direc-
tor of the Business and Tourism De-
velopment Corporation for the Town
of North Hempstead, said there is
only one commonality among the
businesses that have closed: “The
only trend is the economy.”
She also said that the problem
is much more widespread than just
New Hyde Park. “Unfortunately it’s
economy driven. Even up and down
Plandome Road, in Manhasset, busi-
nesses are closing.” The high cost
of renting commercial properties
in North Hempstead is also a con-
tributing factor. “The rents are high
and [the businesses] can’t sustain
themselves,” Fishman said. She also
added that a lack of employment on
Long Island also hurts local busi-
nesses. “No jobs; that is the prob-
lem.”
Still, Fishman does not expect a
great many businesses in North
Hempstead to close due to the na-
tion’s current economic condition.
“The town is not suffering,” she said.
“It’s just a matter that things are bad
all over.”
However, that doesn’t change
the fact that New Hyde Park has
changed, as many popular business-
es have gone out of business. Many
New Hyde Park inhabitants recall a
more lively business community. “It
seemed like everything was flourish-
ing back then,” Anthony Regalbuto,
a New Hyde Park resident of over a
decade, said. Nandini Ahuja agreed,
saying “Business boomed and vari-
ety was common.”
Nevertheless, some residents
believe that the New Hyde Park
business community will see a
revival. According to resident Al-
len Abraham, 18, “It’s all part of the
recession. As soon as this recession
slows down, the businesses will start
to come back.”
Photos by Trisha Maharaj
15
 Business on Grundy Avenue Is Hurting
Holbrook street shows signs of recession
By Brianna Byrd
J-DIV reporter
Being able to walk to the local
stores is one of the many advantag-
es of living in Holbrook, New York.
However, quite a few buildings on
one stretch of Grundy Avenue are
empty, creating an eyesore as well
as indicating problems with business
Signs of the times in Holbrook.
16
in town.
Michelle Lewis, 17, used to walk
to a stationary store on Grundy Av-
enue with her friends--but now the
store is gone. She’s noticed a lot of
businesses closing lately and she’s
been wondering why.
Holbrook resident James Fallar,
51, said he believes businesses have
been struggling due to a combi-
nation of the poor economy and
high rents. He said he’d like to see
a Spanish restaurant and a White
Castle open up. He feels that more
restaurants will help attract more
business. From outward appearanc-
es, he may be right. For example,
Outback Steakhouse is frequently
crowded, and Greek Islands seems
to be a profitable business as well.
The Handy Pantry and Ralph’s Ital-
ian Ices also do well all year round.
There is a brand-new sports bar and
grill called MoMo’s. Many of the
food-related businesses in Holbrook
don’t seem to be having any prob-
lems.
Except for Joe’s In N Out Burg-
er. That store was recently sued by
the California restaurant chain In N
Out Burger, and as a result has nev-
er officially opened. In N Out Burger
requested that the Holbrook restau-
rant change its name. As a result, it
is no longer “In N Out Burger”---it’s
just plain Joe’s Burger. An In N Out
Burger official in California said, “All
negotiations are confidential, and
the matter has been fairly resolved.”
But there is still a question: When
will the building open? Rick Am-
mirati, President of the Holbrook
Chamber of Commerce, was firm:
“It’s definitely going to open. I just
don’t know when.” Ammirati also
said that were issues involving
permits, site planning and parking
with the town of Islip which has held
back the opening of the building.
The owner of Joe’s had to purchase
the house behind the restaurant so
he could utilize it for parking.
Ammirati was also able to give some
insight on the empty storefronts. He
said that Party Hardy closed because
their lease was up and the landlord
didn’t want to negotiate. He also said
that the BJ’s Confections bakery failed
because not many people knew the
store was a bakery.
Only Mei Wei kitchen remains
in a strip on Grundy Avenue. Am-
mirati said that the buildings in that
area were all in dire need of struc-
tural improvements. He also said
that most residents can meet their
needs on Main Street, so traveling to
Grundy Avenue isn’t necessary.
Even though there are these
empty businesses in Holbrook, Am-
mirati said, “Holbrook has a very
low vacancy rate and the chamber is
very proud of that.”
Photos by Brianna Byrd
17
 Mixed Messages for Hempstead Schools
New superintendent must deal with teacher layoffs
By Danielle Evans
j-DIV reporter
The Hempstead School District
has gotten some bad news and
some good news recently. The bad
news first: because of budget con-
straints, about 110 positions, includ-
ing 25 high school teachers, are
being cut, which will only add to the
overcrowding. The good news: Pros-
pect Elementary School, one of two
Prospect Street School to be reopened.
18
closed in recent years, is scheduled
to be renovated and to reopen; and
next month the district is getting a
new superintendent.
“We have a new superintendent
and this new superintendent has a
big challenge,” village trustee Don
Ryan said. “We can’t have turnovers
too often, so hopefully she’s here
for a while and she has a positive
impact on the things that need to be
done in the community.”
Patricia Watkins, the new super-
intendent, was born in Panama, and
earned a degree in education from
the University of Panama and ad-
vanced degrees in bilingual educa-
tion and teacher preparation from
the University of South Florida. She
has been a classroom teacher, prin-
cipal, central office administrator,
and college professor. A former su-
perintendent of Central Falls School
District in Rhode Island, she most
Photo courtesy of hempsteadhighclassof57.org
recently served as superintendent
in Virginia’s Prince Edward County
Public Schools.
She indeed faces challenges.
Saeed Dukes, a former student of
the since-closed MG Rhodes Ele-
mentary School, recalled the con-
ditions of the building: “It sucked.
That’s why they closed it down. It
was horrible. There were two bath-
rooms for about 800 kids. The roof
was caving in. The gym was a mess.”
But now the Prospect Elementary
School, which also had been closed,
may be reopened. “I would like to
see them open it up,” Dukes said.
“A lot of kids are going to Franklin,
Fulton, and Jackson Main,” other
district elementary schools.
Despite the passage of a budget
of $157,420,684, however, about
110 jobs are about to be lost. State
and district officials say they hope
that there will be money from the
federal economic stimulus package
to save some of these positions.
“I’m hoping some of them can
be put back on. I know elected of-
ficials are trying to get the district
some monies. I’m hoping we can get
more,” Ryan said. “It’s obvious we
need more, not less [funding]. But at
the same time we have to balance
the budget, and get it passed. So
there are concerns on both levels.
I’m hoping some of these positions
can be returned and we can go for-
ward and have some progress.”
Recent Hempstead High School
graduate Enrique Perez said, of the
impending layoffs, “I’m kind of torn
about it. I’m sad to see some faces
go. And I think that it’s going to
make some classes worse.”
Ryan, who taught in the high
school for 25 years before his recent
retirement, continues to be hopeful.
“The district changes, but I still think
that there are great students. There
is a good potential to learn. I’m
proud of the staff, and the adminis-
tration has done well.” Photo by Danielle Evans
Overgrown playground at closed MG Rhodes Elementary School

19
 Illusions of Prosperity in Woodmere
Empty storefronts on bustling Broadway
By Shereen Torbati
J-DIV reporter
What looks like a prosperous
shopping street on Broadway in
Woodmere is actually full of holes.
From Lafayette Place to Franklin
Place, in the Woodmere Lanes sec-
tion, there are four vacant stores in
a row. They are surrounded by sushi
restaurants, apparel stores, kosher
delis, a church, a pharmacy, a bike
shop, hair and nail salons, and so
forth.
The ice cream shop Tasti D-lite
used to occupy one of the stores,
and a clothing boutique occupied
the shop next door. The vacancy
on the corner of Franklin Place and
Broadway used to be a hardware
store. The hardware store has been
empty for the longest period of
The view on Broadway.
20
time.
Sue Schachter of Sue Schachter
Realty, a realty agency that deals
with properties in Woodmere, said,
“There is no business in Woodmere.
The market is down 20 percent.” But
not everyone agrees. Devina Singh
of Beautiful Divas, a birthday party
shop for girls, said, “Calls have been
coming in despite the economy.”
Singh, whose store opened in Feb-
ruary, said, “People always seem to
put money aside for their children
and their pets.”
She has noticed the vacancies
around her, but still seemed confi-
dent about her own business. Singh
also said, “The taxes are very high in
this particular neighborhood.”
Emmanuel Toribil, head sales-
man at South Shore Bicycle on the
block, said, “Business is pretty good.
It is not doing great, but not doing
bad either.” South Shore Bicycle has
been open for 42 years and, Toribil
said, “We are doing better than a
lot of other businesses around here
because we are a different kind of
business.”
When officials at Jan Kalman
Realty and Pugatch Realty, which
own the vacant commercial proper-
ties, were asked about the vacan-
cies, they refused to answer any
questions. Both Realtors’ offices are
located on that stretch of Broadway.
Woodmere is one of the wealthi-
est communities on Long Island.
Based on the 2000 Census, 45.9
percent of Woodmere’s households
had incomes above $100,000.
According to the town profile
of Woodmere on Newsday.com,
there are many kosher delis and
restaurants to cater to the growing
Orthodox Jewish population. Broad-
way, the main shopping district, is a
bustling area. But some of the shops
may not serve the needs of local
shoppers.
Resident Sandra Romero said
that she does not frequently shop
in Woodmere. “The stores are not
my type,” she said. “I have noticed
that many of the stores have closed.
Broadway needs less boutiques and
more clothing franchises.” Romero
said she is turned off by the conges-
tion and traffic in the area.
Eileen Rose, another Woodmere
resident, also blamed the conges-
tion and the lack of parking. “I don’t
mind eating at the restaurants in the
area,” she said. “I’m willing to spend
more money for top quality food
rather than for clothes.” She refers to
the clothing shops in the area as too
pricey for her taste. Still, her favorite
restaurant on the block is the Japa-
nese Takesushi.
Photos by Shereen Torbati

21
 Survey Finds Teens Want Parental Help
Long Island youth seek information on sex and pregnancy
By Tatiana Bernard
J-DIV reporter
Many parents complain that
their children never pay attention to
them. But when it comes to sex, they
underestimate themselves. A recent
survey by the National Campaign
to Prevent Teen and Unplanned
Pregnancy found that 43 percent
of adults thought their children’s
friends have the most influence on
decisions about having sex. But the
same survey found that only 18
percent of teens give their friends’
advice much weight---parents get
the credit 31 percent of the time.
Nevertheless, Ieasha Galloway, a
17-year-old student at Hempstead
High School, had to take a moment
to remember how often she speaks
to her mother about sex. “I’m think-
ing maybe every five months,” Gal-
loway said.
Sydney Smith, 16, doesn’t talk
to her mother about sex at all. “You
know my mom is always, like, ‘talk if
you need to...’ But it’s kind of hard
to talk with her about stuff like
that.”
When teens do talk about sex
with their friends it isn’t about the
emotional response and repercus-
sions. Galloway laughed as she re-
called an awkward moment. She and
her friends discussed “random weird
stuff, except for that one time we
were talking about freaking tentacle
porn and stuff and Leonel [a class-
mate] was listening.”
If teens aren’t getting the facts
from their parents, they often get it
from their sexual and health edu-
cation classes in school. But the
information may not be making an
impact. In the National Campaign
survey, only three percent of teens
said that educators influenced their
decisions about sex. Smith doesn’t
even mention what she’s actually
22
learned in her health class when she
is asked whether or not her school’s
sex education was adequate. “Yeah,
I love my health teacher,” Smith said.
“She’s awesome.”
“If teens aren’t
getting the facts
from their
parents, they often
get it from their
sexual and health
education classes
in school.”
Some teens decide on their own
not to have sex, without the advice
of teachers or preachers. Galloway
has already considered what she’d
do if she’d gotten pregnant.
“I would go kill myself,” she said.
“Dude, I can’t deal with that. I take
care of mad kids [her relatives]
already; I can’t deal with all of that
on my own. I gotta take care of five
kids already and I didn’t have any
of them. I’ve been taking care of
them since they were little. It’s mad
work, you gotta worry about food,
you gotta worry about shelter and
clothes. Are they gonna grow up
to be good people? It’s too much
mental stress. Then you gotta worry
about school work, you gotta worry
about their school work...”
Then she looked down at a
bracelet she’s wearing. It read: “You
can’t take a baby to Harvard.”
Paul Allen Jr, a senior at Hemp-
stead High School, knows exactly
what life would be like if he had a
child--- because he has one, a girl
who is less than one year old. Hav-
ing a child has made his life a lot
more difficult and has strained his
relationship with Rose, his girlfriend
and the mother. Still, he said, “from
my side it’s a great thing to have
someone who loves you uncondi-
tonally.” More often then not, the
responsibility of taking care of the
child falls on the mother. But Allen
said that he refuses to be a black
stereotype by making the child’s
mother a single parent.
From the moment he found out
that Rose was pregnant, he said, he
was supportive. “Whatever you do I
support you,” he said he told her. “I
can’t tell you what to do with your
body. Whatever you do, I’m there
for you.” But Allen’s situation is
unusual. When both he and Rose are
busy, his own mother is available:
she runs a day care center. But, Al-
len added, “It’s a lot more fun for me
to take care of her.”
Allen is lucky, because the odds
are that teenagers who are pregnant
won’t have parents who run day care
centers.
Galloway may not be a mother,
but she has some advice: “Do not
have a kid, man. I take care of mad
kids and I can’t deal with it.”
Tatiana Bernard, Hempstead High Brianna Byrd, Sachem North High Danielle Evans, Hempstead High
School, School, School,
www.google.com/briannabyrdinc www.google.com/danielleevans92

Trisha Maharaj, New Hyde Park Mariam Nik, Clarke High School, Kaitlin Prisco-Buxbaum, Plainedge
High School, www.google.com/mariam_writer High School,www.google.com/
www.google.com/trishamaharaj katiepriscobuxbaum

Amanda Rouch, West Hempstead Jacqueline Salo, Commack High Nishoba Snow, Uniondale High
High School, School, School,
www.google.com/amandarouch www.google.com/jackiesalo www.google.com/nishobasays

Shereen Torbati, Kellenberg

Memorial High School,
www.google.com/shereentorbati
Photos by Stephen Cooney

23
Photo by Stephen Cooney
Shereen Torbati at work.

24